Chapter 12 Chapter 12 Partitioning the Zhen Family to Rent a House
Baozhu was envious of the fish, but it was a hot day, and even if she caught some, she could only eat two as a snack. If she wanted to transport them to Bian Jing, the fish would probably go bad before leaving Xuzhou.
Of the thirty acres of land he bought, he kept three acres in the middle to grow some popular vegetables, and the rest was used to grow crops.
Thinking of this, Baozhu sighed. It is difficult to build a family business, and it is even more difficult to keep it. If you live an honest life, you will be rich and prosperous, at least you will not have to worry about food and clothing. But you have evil intentions, and it is difficult to keep the family business no matter how big it is. It's a pity for the landlord Shi, who has worked hard all his life but ended up with nothing.
Originally, I had thought of asking Ah Zhong to come along this time, and then let him take care of the farm work. However, I didn't know how long it would take, and I was afraid that nothing would get done this time. More people would mean more expenses, so I decided to wait until everything was settled here, and then go back to bring Ah Zhong along. Then Baozhu wouldn't have to come along, and his eldest brother would show him the way.
Although they bought the land, they were not locals and had no connections here. If no one was watching, someone might do something bad. It would be difficult for Ah Zhong to watch alone. Baozhu thought of simply hiring someone to do the work, and after this wheat harvest, it would be time to start the next one.
So I have to stay here for a few more days. After all, I am a foreigner and I own so many fields. There will always be people in the village who are jealous of me.
But it was not easy to find an honest and reliable one. Baozhu was not satisfied with what she had seen for several days. She was worried when the landlord Shi suddenly came to visit. He might have found out about the inn where Baozhu and her partner were staying from someone else. He came all the way here and brought some fresh fruits in his hand.
"These were just picked from the fields. You two gentlemen seem to have some extraordinary auras. I wanted to ask you today, since you have bought this land, will you take care of it from your family or find a village head?"
Baozhu was puzzled, "Master Shi, what are you doing?"
Landlord Shi shook his head and waved his hands, "Young Master, just call me Shi Da."
Since he rescued the unfilial son and brought him home, his back had been bent a little. He hesitated for a long time before he finally explained his purpose.
"I didn't come here for any other reason, but I thought it would be best to find someone in the village who could take care of these fields. Now that the family business has been ruined by that prodigal son, the surplus grain we sold is barely enough to make a living. I have been tending to these fields myself for more than ten years, and no one knows them better than me. So I thought, if I have to find someone else, it would be better to let me take care of them. These fields are almost like my life, and I will definitely know how to manage them better than anyone else..."
Baozhu thought about it and felt that it was a good idea. Besides, the landlord Shi was originally a villager and had some respectability in the village. Although he was not as respectable as before, he was still much better than an outsider.
"I was originally looking for a farm manager, but I didn't expect you to come and ask me yourself. I don't think there's anyone more suitable than you. You came here in a hurry, and you have to be in a hurry to go home tomorrow, so let's make this a deal for now." Baozhu smiled. "After you finish harvesting this crop, we'll work out the details. Besides, we have so much land here, I'm afraid you can't handle it all by yourself. Then my eldest brother will bring someone to help. After all, we have dozens of acres of land, so we'll have to hire someone else to do the work."
"Okay, now I know what you mean."
After hearing this, Shi Zhuangtou knew that this was almost certain, so he thanked Baozhu profusely and left the fruits and vegetables along with the basket. Although he had not done business for a long time, he was very familiar with the interpersonal relationships. He didn't have any good things at home now, and only the fruits and vegetables produced in the fields were barely presentable. He picked out a few good ones and asked Baozhu and the others to taste them. After saying this, he hurriedly said goodbye.
The expenses were enormous; the land purchase money had been completely spent, and Baozhu and her eldest brother had each contributed some to buy the pond. Landlord Shi assumed they were wealthy, but Baozhu knew she was just trying to save face. That was why Baozhu hesitated to decide on an appropriate salary for Landlord Shi; she had to go back and discuss the matter with her family.
After finishing what needed to be done, the brother and sister followed the caravan, first taking a carriage to Xuzhou Prefecture, and then changing to a water route back to Bianjing. They had taken a carriage all the way here, but changed the route on the return trip, so the journey was half a day faster than the way there. The trip to Xuzhou was delayed for about half a month.
When they arrived in Bian Jing, the brother and sister were completely covered in dust and dirt. They took a deep bath as soon as they got home. They had never known about the practice of taking a bath in Suzhou. But when they arrived in Bian Jing, they found bathhouses on the streets. The whole family then realized that they could actually go to a bathhouse to take a bath.
Baozhu was so tired that she couldn't walk, so she asked Baorong to help her. She used a soap ball to rub out two buckets of black water and poured them out, then dried her hair. Then she went back to the house and had a good sleep.
He slept until the next morning. When the eldest brother came back yesterday, he told A Zhong everything he had done on this trip. He said that after the wheat harvest was finished at the Shi family in Xuzhou, he would go there with A Zhong. Then A Zhong would stay in Xuzhou to look after the fields. He would receive the monthly salary as usual, and an additional 100 coins per month for food expenses. A Zhong knew that things were not the same at home, so he refused to take it no matter what, but he could not resist everyone's persuasion.
The yard is very big, and since the family had just moved in, Baozhu thought it would be better to rent out the empty room.
Nowadays, the rental price of houses in Bian Jing is also high. Since this house is near the Imperial College, it should be easy to rent it out. Xu took the time to go out and inquire. In this area where the family lives, even if there is only a shabby house that can shelter from the rain, it will cost three strings of money a month.
Baozhu came up with an idea. It would be better to build a row of houses in the other half of the house and collect rent from them. It would be similar to a school dormitory, but the conditions would definitely be better than a school dormitory. At least each person could have a room to live in. Now the family lived near the Imperial College, and there were many students studying there. Students from other places who could go to the Imperial College must have some wealth. The school dormitory environment was poor. The second brother and cousin lived in the school dormitory for the purpose of studying. Several people were crowded in one room. It was cold in winter and their hands and feet would be sore. It was scorching hot in summer and there were many mosquitoes. Therefore, most children rented houses outside. So it was really worthwhile to rent a few rooms to others.
Most of these scholars also eat out. My eldest brother is a good cook. In the past, many students studying in Gusu County also came to the restaurant to eat, or ordered boxed lunches from Zhen's restaurant. After renting out the house, maybe I can ask if they are willing to have the Zhen family provide meals.
As soon as Baozhu said this, everyone in the family thought this method was feasible.
It was just wishful thinking. Although this mansion was purchased by the Zhen family, the houses in the courtyard could not be changed at will, otherwise they would be sued if reported to the government.
The family had to give up the idea of building a few more rooms. In the past few days, they just hired someone to divide the house into two small courtyards. The side where the Zhen family lived was smaller.
The other yard was much larger, with a new toilet built behind the house and a new kitchen built in the front.
The people living nearby are all well-known families. If you live in those streets and alleys where all kinds of people gather, it is normal to have a lot of people living in the yard. What's more, some people even set up sheds outside the yard and rent them to poor people who have just arrived in Bianliang to rest. If someone comes to the government office, they will tear down their sheds to deal with it, and then set up the sheds again after the officials leave.
The city of Bianjing may not be suitable for everyone, but whether you are an official, a businessman, or an ordinary citizen, you can find a corner to live in this huge city, but there is no way to know whether you will live a good life or a hard life.
If the small house was in good shape, it could be rented out. At least a small amount of rent could be collected each month, allowing the family to live in Bianjing. With the rent, they would have money for daily expenses. If the government didn't interfere, they could build a few more large houses, and they might even have a surplus in rent each month. Unfortunately, the Zhen family was timid and had just arrived, so they didn't dare to cause trouble. Not only did they ask for help when building a house, but they also asked for help when building partitions.
It was already June after the courtyard was partitioned off. The family now lived in what was essentially a small courtyard, with the door opening to the other side. Although it was a bit crowded, the eldest and second brothers each had a room, and she and Baorong each had a room, leaving a spare room. Thinking of the convenience of partitioning, the west side of the main hall was reserved for storage, and the main hall was also partitioned off in the next courtyard. Those who could rent a courtyard in Bianjing must have some wealth, and they must have some servants and family members to keep them company. Keeping the main hall could be used as a place to entertain guests, and secondly, they could collect more rent.
Once the courtyard was separated, it seemed much more crowded. The back room at the door was still empty. Xu had cleaned it up, leaving one room for A Zhong and another for storing some miscellaneous items. Of the four small back rooms, two were left here, and the rest, including the gate, were moved to the side courtyard.
The separated courtyard is equipped with a study, kitchen, toilet and so on.
Originally, they wanted to sell the house to a pawnshop, but Xu said that she would rent it out. She loved chatting with people and had gotten to know quite a few of them. Zhen's father was now a cook in Fanlou, so she would often ask him to make some classic snacks, or invite people to her house to eat, or ask neighbors to send them over. One reason was to find out about the situation in Bianjing, and the other was to build relationships with people.
Baozhu also asked her second brother to write some lists, and Xu went to the gate of the Imperial College early to distribute them. It was easy to distinguish between people from Bian Jing and outsiders. Xu made sure they were there and sent them out, and then said that they were renting houses outside. Because she made sure they were there before sending them out, she would take a look at the people who received them.
After three consecutive days of selling orders, there are still quite a few people coming to see the house.
The visitor today was also from the south, and by the sounds of it, his hometown seemed to be somewhere along the coast. His surname was Zhao, and he was a scholar, about thirty years old, with a sour tone. He told me his family was a wealthy landlord in Guangdong and Guangxi, and perhaps he had used some money to get his name in a dormitory at the Imperial College.
He had come to study with his wife, daughter, and a maid who cooked and washed clothes. His wife was pregnant and had difficulty moving around, and their previous residence was too small, so they wanted to move to a larger house. They had consulted both sides, and the Zhen family thought it was suitable, and Zhao Xiucai was also quite satisfied.
When the second brother came back in the evening, the family asked him about him. Although they did not study together, they did not expect that the second brother had ever heard of this person.
"He speaks in a very flowery manner, even more roundabout than the teacher, and often writes sad poems, but my wife and daughter have never heard of them..." The second brother asked him to wait and go to the school to inquire before making a decision.
After some inquiries, Erlang only heard that Zhao Xiucai often drank and wrote poetry with other scholars, but other than that, he did not have any serious problems.
Baozhu and the others nodded after hearing this. There were many people who came to see the house these days, but they always wanted to negotiate the price, or put forward a series of demands, or they were some dandy young men with maids as study companions. Their decadent and lustful appearance made people feel disgusted. After all, they had to rent it to others and they would have to live with them in the future. If something went wrong, it would be better not to earn the rent.
In comparison, only Mr. Zhao is considered normal.
The final payment they agreed upon was fifteen strings of cash per month. They found a middleman to draft the lease and signed it. Since they had never gone through a middleman, they only spent a hundred or so coins, which the family considered a profit.
Mr. Zhao paid three months' rent first, and then moved in with his wife and daughter.
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